Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Solar-Powered Lamps Impact Developing Countries

Miami-based businessman William Pino was most recently the president and CEO of Main Street Engineering, where he managed daily operations. A designer of municipal outdoor lighting projects in and around Miami, William Pino has more than three decades of experience in the lighting industry. William Pino takes a particular interest in solar energy and its potential benefits for developing countries such as Haiti.

Electricity, something most Americans take for granted, is essential for the safety, well-being, and economy of any nation. When streets are unlit, crime increases. When stores cannot light their interiors, they must close at sundown. When students don’t have access to electric lamps, they cannot study after nightfall. Bigger problems arise when hospitals, industries, and infrastructure are crippled due to lack of power.

Following Haiti’s disastrous earthquake of 2010, even more people were left without power in a nation that already experienced low access to electricity. As of 2013, only 20 percent of the island had power, provided mainly from diesel fuel imported from Venezuela. Many experts believed that alternative energy sources, such as solar power, would help the Haitian population and economy.

In 2015, a Netherlands-based producer of solar-powered lamps called WakaWaka began an initiative that provided small, individual, solar powered fixtures to Haitians who were still without power. The lamps, normally sold for about $30, provide up to 80 hours of continuous light. Through the company’s efforts and the generosity of those that participated in the crowd-funded drive, over 12,000 lamps were donated to the people of Haiti, positively affecting 60,000 lives.

About Me

An alumnus of the University of Costa Rica, longtime Miami resident
William Pino studied electrical engineering and physics. After
graduating in 1975, he moved to the United States. William Pino began
his career as a vice president, outside sales representative, and
manager of Power & Lighting Systems, Inc. In that position, which he
held from 1981 to 1995, he helped grow the company from $4 million in
annual sales to $20 million. He concurrently served from 1983 to 1991 as
vice president of engineering at Columbia Engineering in Miami. There,
he was directly responsible for the design of four large sugar mills in
the Dominican Republic and Mexico.

In 1995, Mr. Pino founded
Municipal Lighting Systems, Inc., a firm dedicated to producing
innovative, effective lighting solutions for the municipal and outdoor
lighting markets. From 1995 to 2016, he built the company into the
largest outdoor lighting supplier in Florida with annual revenue of more
than $20 million. In 2000, he founded Main Street Engineering, Inc.,
which provided parallel electrical engineering and consulting services
for major outdoor lighting projects.

Subsequently working on
Miami International Airport, the port of Miami, and other major
projects, he has emphasized environmentally friendly design that
protects turtle habitats and reduces light pollution. Since 2010, Mr.
Pino has served as the president of Florida Lighting & Traffic, Inc.
The company has since become one of the top three traffic-signal firms
in Florida, with $8 million in annual sales.